AIBU to press charges on an 11/12 year old?

[Ruudiluca]

I was sitting in my living room yesterday and the school on my road had finished for the day. All the kids were walking past my house to get to the bus stop.
I looked up and saw 2 boys looking into my window laughing and the next minute my living room window smashed.
I ran outside to get a look at them and a lovely group of kids came running up to me and gave me the names of the boys that done it.
I rang the school who were helpful and urged me to ring the police, so I called 101 and an officer came round to visit yesterday evening. He looked at the damage and said he would pass it on to the officer that is linked with the school.
Today I have got a call from the school telling me the boys have been "spoken" to and have been punished. When I discussed about who was going to pay for my window (i.e. parents) they were shocked (as though they thought I would pay) and quickly ended to conversation.
So now I am mad because I have been left with a triple glazed window that was replaced not even a month ago and it looks like I will be shelling out for it AND the kids that done it have just been "spoken" to.

AIBU to contact the officer in charge of the school and ask to press charges on the kids because what they have done is criminal damage. If the boys had come and apologized and their parents had offered to pay, I admit I would not be thinking of doing this.

Can you claim on your insurance? Get crime number

They didn't offer to pay?

I would suggest offering the choice of paying for it or pressing charges.

Why is school involved if it was off their premises?

Claim off your house insurance. You have a crime number, claim off your house insurance.

What did the police say? witnesses? Admission of guilt? you could say unless your excess is covered on the house insurance you will prosecute.

YANBU. They may have been punished but they've not made amends.

Yanbu. I'd feel the same.

No idea. I'd be expecting the boys or their family to pay up though and I'd be pressing for addresses for your insurance.

I wonder if you could go down the path of a civil lawsuit, instead. I would be loathe to give a 12yo (however stupid) a criminal record. Also, I don't see how pressing charges would lead to financial compensation.

I can't blame you for feeling infuriated.

yanbu. why the hell should you have to pay/claim on your insurance which means your insurance goes up and you pay anyway.

The age of criminal responsibility in England is 10 so, yes, you should take this further. They boys will most likely be cautioned. Not sure if their parents can be made to pay though.

I would. Even if the parents had offered to pay. The little shits need to learn a lesson. If they get away with such things at this age, what are they going to be doing at 15?

Although I can see how wrong it is and how much inconvience it will cause, I think your home insurance should pay.

I say this only because I think it was good that the other children told you the names of the window breakers. It would be bad if they got bullied as a result

YANBU to be angry, but I am not sure what you will gain by pressing charges on the children, it won't get your window paid for. Is there anyone, school or police, who would contact the parents for you to ask if they will do the decent thing?

I think you'll need a crime number at the very least, if you are considering an insurance claim. It might well be worth contacting the police officer to find out what your next steps are.

Of course you should get the addresses to contact the parents for the costs. And also the police again to ask how they are going to proceed.

And you should give the address to your home insurance so they can chase them for costs.

The police proceed - you don't choose to press charges. So ask them how they're going to proceed.

Spoken to is not good enough!!

That said I would give the parents a bit more time, if it only happened yesterday afternoon they may yet offer to pay. I would go around in the evening if I was hoping to catch someone I didnt know in.

I am absolutely not blaming OP for this happening, but why did they smash OP's window & no one else's? Or do they have form for smashing other windows in?

If these boys live in the area & OP pushed too hard she could make enemies of her neighbours, not good.

yanbu the school are involved i guess as it was on the way home and they were in uniform and so 'representing' the school, they should have informed the parents of the children and i am amazed they havent offered to pay.

as the mother of a 12yr old if mine did this then i would be mortified and pay for damages and if you informed the police and my son got a telling off that would be more than ok for me, if its their first offence and they have no record/history then it would be a stern telling off i would imagine, if the parents dont want to pay then yes i would press charges.

get in touch with the police and see if they can get the parents to pay, or send a letter via the school to the parents?

While I understand the logic of not wanting 12 yo with criminal records, at the end of the day they have, very deliberately, committed a crime. And unless they are made to make reparations for it, there is every chance that they will carry on because they have learned that their behaviour has no consequences. ( A telling off is not a consequence that will have any effect).

I think Laurie probably has the best idea - give the boys' families the opportunity to pay for the window and draw a line under it, or you will have no option but to press charges and pass their details on to your insurer.

What is making me angry is they looked at me through the window and laughed before they done it. So it was totally premeditated. I saw the whole thing. If it had been a case of they were mucking around with a ball and it was a genuine accident I would not feel like this (boys will be boys and all that).

Also this is going to cost me a lot of money because my windows (and loads of my neighbor's ones) were done in by the London riots and because I didnt have the names of the perpetrators it went through the insurance and am already paying an excess.
I had to put up with single glazing when I live by an airport until a month ago when the insurance paid out for me to get triple glazing again. Hence another reason why I am so annoyed.

How did it happen? chucking rocks deliberately? kicking like a football and they scarpered?

YANBU. You should be pushing for them to be prosecuted regardless of who is paying for it.

If my son did something as horrendous as smash someone's window in on purpose I'd definatly hope that he was punished fully and properly, and you woudnt even need to question who was going to pay. In fact you would probably have received a cheque and a letter of apology by now.

YY to everything 5mad said.

I too would go down the route of either they pay or you press charges, why should you have to pay or claim on insurance

yanbu,why should you incur the excess and cost and inconvinience of your insurer

the lad was on your property for starters,they shouldnt of even been on your private property

wonder what the punishment was,i dread to think,poor you op id be fuming at this situation to